More men are applying to be primary school teachers but male role models in early education remain stubbornly low, according to new figures.

At Dundee University, applications from men for courses are up by almost a quarter compared to 2008-09 while they are up by 12.3 per cent at the University of Aberdeen.

South Tyneside is bucking the trend when it comes to the number of male teachers in primary schools.

New figures released by the General Teaching Council for England (GTCE) show more than a quarter of schools in the country (27.2 per cent) have no male teacher.

But only eight of the borough’s 46 primary schools (17.4 per cent) have no men in their classrooms.

We showed the Expect Male Involvement video at Housatonic during the Week of the Young Child sponsored by the ECE Program at the college and the Fairfield County (CT) AEYC. About 50 people showed up, which was a smaller number than events held during that week in the last couple of years, but decent. There were 18 men in attendance which I thought was a huge success - virtually all of them were childcare workers or ECE students. The open discussion after the showing of the video was lively but supportive.

1) Men working with young children during disasters
2) Primary level teaching sees rise in male applicants
3) The Need for More Male Teachers
4) We're bucking trend on male teachers
5) Men & women organize and watch "Expect Male Involvement"
6) Men in early education Fall Meeting - MenTeach - New England
7) Lots of men in this New South Wales Program
8) African American male teacher shortage
9) University Sees More Men Applying to be Primary Teachers
10) Men's Stories: A brilliant, dignified teacher

It's a nationwide problem, the shortage of black male teachers. Only two-percent of the nation's nearly five million teachers are African American.

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